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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28519518">Renegades with Different Approaches</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mothman1998/pseuds/Mothman1998'>Mothman1998</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Asexual Character, Language of Flowers, Nonbinary Character, Not Beta Read, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Serial: s055 Terror of the Autons, Tags May Change</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:15:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,893</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28519518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mothman1998/pseuds/Mothman1998</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of works celebrating every story where the Master has an on-screen apperance, with a focus on the relationship between various incarnations the Doctor and the Master. Staring in January 2021 to 2022, follwing the release dates of the stories.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who), Third Doctor/The Master (Delgado)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Renegades with Different Approaches</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Master was looking forward to speaking with one of his oldest friends. They had not met in ages, and despite a few scattered interactions, and after hearing about the Doctor’s exile to the backwater planet of Earth, had decided to drop by. He found the alliance with the Nestenes a suitable plot to gain the Doctor’s attention.</p><p>He dialed the Doctor’s number at the UNIT headquarters lab on the public phone.</p><p>‘Hullo,’ he said distractedly. He tucked the phone between chin and shoulder to continue working. </p><p>‘Hullo, Doctor,’ said the familiar voice of the Master. </p><p>‘What the blazes do you want?’ snapped the Doctor. </p><p>‘I’ve nothing to say to you—unless you want to give yourself up.’ </p><p>The Master was standing in a telephone box, on an isolated country road. The Master smiled as he heard the Doctor’s voice, amused at how easy it was to wind him up. He feigned affront,‘That’s no way to talk to an old friend, Doctor. I was merely calling to tell you that the game is over. You begin to weary me, and my plan is almost complete.’ </p><p>‘For the last time,’ he heard the Doctor say, ‘will you tell me what you want? I’ve got work to do, if you haven’t.’ </p><p>‘Goodbye, Doctor,’ he murmured softly, with a certain kind of fondness.</p><p>Although the Master held no fondness for the Doctor's favored humans, he thought something as antiquated yet complex as the Language of Flowers would be sure to have interested him. He found the symbolism for daffodils intriguing. A bouquet of multiple flowers ment positive associations, while a singular flower was signal of coming misfortune.</p><p> A clever form for an invasion weapon, something so deceptively innocent and benign, given individually to those unaware of the darker meaning was most appropriate.</p><p>This was as much a personal message as well. A misguided sense of chivalry drew the Doctor’s attention ever to this planet's precious inhabitants and and away from focus on him.  With this incarnation's aristocratic leanings and inclination towards luxary, narcissism and egocentrism more accurately describes the Doctor than even himself. Still, he was held in high esteem as one of his most challenging adversaries, if not an equal.</p><p>He held one of the plastic daffodils, idly rolled the stem between his gloved fingers and wistfully stroked the petals while inside the coach.</p><p>…..</p><p>‘Good afternoon, Doctor,’ said a voice behind him. The Doctor whirled round. The Master was stepping off the spiral staircase into the lab. Each step was purposeful and messured, with a cat-like grace. 'I hope I am not interrupting anything important.' </p><p>'No, no. Indeed not,' the Doctor replied partly out of habit from their days at school, partly to throw the Master off what he was working on.</p><p>This incarnation was smaller, but lacking compensation in presence. Like a black panther, as threatening as he was regal. With a dark beard and hair begining to gray at the edges and temples, he looked rather distinguished. Dressed in a dark buisness suit, the golden tie seemed to reflect brightly in his menacingly warm dark eyes. </p><p>‘You’ve come to kill me, of course.’ </p><p>‘But not without considerable regret.’ He leaned against a table languidly, keeping the TCE trained on the Doctor. </p><p>'You see Doctor, you are my intellectual equal. Almost. I have so few worthy opponents, when they are gone I always miss them. '</p><p>‘How on earth did you get in here?’ asked the Doctor. </p><p>The Master gave his self-satisfied smile. ‘Now do not be trivial,  Doctor. Few doors are closed to me, you should know that. A number of UNIT sentries firmly believe that they have just admitted the Prime Minister.’<br/>
He nodded towards the plastic daffodil. ‘I see you’ve been working on the Nestene Autojet. My own contribution to their invasion plan.’ </p><p>‘I thought it must be,’ said the Doctor calmly. ‘Hmm..It’s vicious, complicated, and inefficient—typical of your thinking.’</p><p>'Now come, Doctor, death is always more frightening when it strikes invisibly!'</p><p>Beneath his apparent calm, the Doctor’s mind was racing. He knew the Master would be unable to resist the opportunity to explain his own cleverness. The Doctor was relying on this to buy him time. The<br/>
more he could get out of the Master the better. ‘Tell me, how do you intend to activate these flowers?’ </p><p>‘By radio impulse which the Nestenes will send. I shall open a channel for them. We have distributed over 450,000 of these daffodils. So when 450,000 people fall dead — sudden, silent, inexplicable, the country will be disrupted.’ </p><p>The Doctor managed to keep the horror and loathing he felt out of his voice. In a tone of polite interest he said, ‘And the Nestenes will land their invasion force?’<br/>
‘Exactly so. It's a shame you can't enjoy the chaos and destruction with me. Good-bye Doctor—’ </p><p>The laboratory door opened and Jo rushed in. ‘I couldn’t get through. The frequency’s all choked up with RAF signals...’ </p><p>The Doctor used Jo's unexpected entrance as a diversion, and started scrabbling amid the electronic parts on the bench.</p><p>Slowly the Doctor turned. The weapon was trained steadily on the Doctor. </p><p>‘Wait, don’t shoot,’ said the Doctor hurriedly. </p><p>‘Doctor, you do disappoint me. A Time Lord expected to face death with dignity.’ </p><p>Jo gasped 'Oh no.'<br/>
'Don't worry, he isn't going to kill me.' He thought that would reassure her, and prevent any further blunder.</p><p>'That is your last mistake', the Master warned.</p><p>‘If you shoot, you’ll never leave this planet.’ </p><p>The Master paused. ‘You’re bluffing on an empty hand, Doctor.’ He said breezily.</p><p>‘I never bluff,’ said the Doctor with dignity. ‘And my hand, as you can see, is not empty. It holds the dematerialisation circuit from your TARDIS. You recognize it I feel sure. If you fire that TCE, I shall crush the circuit as I die. You will be trapped on a planet where you have only enemies.’ </p><p>The Master took a steadying breath in an attempt to keep the furious anxiety from his tone. Less a question, more of a command, 'Where did you get that.'</p><p>'The circus', the Doctor responded casually.</p><p>'You underestimate me Doctor. Let me be quite plain.' His eyebrows quirked up to emphasize his point. All patience drained from his voice, straining as he held back irritation. 'Either you hand that unit over to me now, or I will kill Miss Grant.'</p><p>The Master turned the TCE to cover Jo. </p><p>The Doctor put the circuit down on the bench and stepped back. The Master threw Jo to one side, stepped forward and pocketed the circuit. Never taking his eyes from the Doctor, he raised the TCE.</p><p>'Touche.' The Doctor was both fustrated and resigned.</p><p>‘Don't! He's beaten already,’ sobbed Jo.'They're going to bomb the quarry!’ </p><p>'Jo! ' The Doctor warned, but it was too late.</p><p>To her astonishment the Master released her.</p><p>‘Oh,' said the Master thoughtfully. 'There’s been a slight change of plan Doctor,’ his voice clipped. ‘I’ve decided to let you both live—for just a little while… ’ </p><p>…….</p><p>With how reckless the other Time Lord was, he may have burned through his incarnations. If it was his final regeneration, a well placed bullet would be all that was needed to end him. Cornered as he was, the Master may in fact surrender in order to avoid death.</p><p>The Doctor came up to the figure of the Master. ‘Now just stop all this nonsense and...’<br/>
At the sound of the Doctor’s voice, the bearded figure whirled round, and continued to walk forward.</p><p>The Doctor choked, watching as the Master, arms raised in surrender, was shot by a trigger-happy UNIT soldier.If he was indeed on his last incarnation, then the bullets could in fact kill him this time around.</p><p>In death the Master's face looked a little too pale and ashen, strangely mask-like and waxy.</p><p>Doubt crept into his mind. For all the times that the Master had seemed finished, he had always been able to escape death. </p><p>He found the edge of the mask behind the body's ear, and removed it, peeling it off to reveal a different face underneath. </p><p>Rex Farrel, hypnotized, disguised, and sacrificed in a final act of service for the Master. His face was slack, and oddly peaceful. After a life of submission to first his father then the master, unyielding and manipulative men, he was finally free.</p><p>He let out a shaky breath, barely audible, equal parts horrified surprise, and disturbingly selfish relief.</p><p>…….</p><p> </p><p>In the moments that followed after the Doctor had dodged the coach, sprawled out in the grass of the roadside ditch next to Jo, his emotions were unguarded for a brief moment. He wondered if the Master had deliberately missed the both of them.</p><p>Jo saw the flash of a subtle smile, with reluctant admiration for the Master.</p><p>Maybe more than reluctant admiration that crept in that flicker of a smile, is a sense of relief that the Master had not been shot by the Brigadier's men. </p><p>…….</p><p>‘You know, Doctor,’ said Jo suddenly, ‘I think you’ve got a sort of sneaking liking for him.’ The hint of a conspiratorial, knowing smile raising the corners of her mouth and lighting up her bright eyes.</p><p>The Doctor was affronted and indignant. ‘Like him? I can’t stand the fellow. He’s ruthless. Depraved. Totally evil. In fact, a thoroughly bad lot,' He seemed to settle, and trailed off, begrudgingly wistful, 'Only...’ </p><p>She was a little taken aback by the abrupt reaction, but she was beginning to understand these two and how complex and subtle and intricate their relationship was, with. She was held hostage by the Master, and threatened, she was terrified, but it felt almost as much of a bluff as the Doctor had made. She could begrudgingly understand that small bit of kindness. </p><p>‘Only what, Doctor?’ she asked, trying to coax out more of an answer with a leading question. </p><p>The Doctor looked sheepish, unwilling to admit to himself that Jo, having only known him for a few days, was in fact right. ‘Well, I do sometimes think the cosmos would be a duller place without him. Not that I won’t do my best to catch him, I assure you.’ He wanted to assure Jo, who was just beginning to have faith in him, as much as himself. </p><p>…..</p><p>He resumed work on fixing the dematerialisation circuit after Jo and the Brigadier had left. A feeling like cotton lodged in his throat, and he swallowed thickly, trying to abate the feeling. He realized that his feelings for his old friend may compromise future attempts to stop and capture him.</p><p>If their shared history was enough to affect the Doctor though, then also may have been enough to affect the Master as well. He had seemed as though he wished to share the ivasion with him, in a deeply misguided attempt to impress. He had even spared Jo and himself.</p><p>Perhaps it was not beyond salvaging, there was still a chance to reconcile and repair their tattered relationship. With how reserved the Master could be, a coded, subtle form of communication seemed appropriate somehow. The Doctor held the plastic flower, now rendered safe, that had been left within the lab. He proped it upright on his workbench, smiling thoughtfully. Daffodils, for all their negative meanings did represent new beginnings after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>January 2nd, 1971</p><p>Serial 55, Terror of the Autons</p><p>Daffodils (Narcissus) - singular- misfortune, unrequited love, egotism and vanity</p><p>New beginnings, rebirth, civility, chivalry,<br/>Regard, esteem</p></blockquote></div></div>
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